The Regiment was made up of Southern Unionists and deserters from the Confederate Army, and fought in several battles in North Carolina before being disbanded in the summer of 1865.

[1] Union Major General John J. Peck complained about the quality of the North Carolina recruits: "Some of these officers...enlist all the men they can possibly persuade, without the slightest regard to their capacity, either mental or physical.

"[2] Peck was also concerned about "virtual impressment and fraudulent enlistment," in the 1st & 2nd North Carolina Regiments, including the recruitment of underage and over-age soldiers.

[1] Besides garrison duty at coastal forts and other strategic points, the troops of the 1st North Carolina were engaged in several skirmishes and battles across their home state.

These killings, the only large-scale execution of deserters during the Civil War, shook morale in both the 1st and 2nd North Carolina Volunteer Regiments.